Journey Beyond Sodor
'Journey Beyond Sodor ' is the 2017 Thomas & Friends special. Plot The Island of Sodor is home to many engines of several shapes and sizes, with lots of branch lines, running all across the island, and the main line running from Knapford to Vicarstown, and continuing across the Vicarstown Bridge. Henry is pulling a goods train to the mainland, but because of a faulty signal, he runs right into the back of Hiro's train and derails, dangling dangerously over the edge of the viaduct. Meanwhile, on his branch line, Thomas is feeling bright and sunny, whistling hello to everyone he meets. As he pulls into Knapford Station, he is complementing how wonderful the day is, and feels like singing. But he is interrupted by James, who is boastfully singing about how he believes he is the best engine on Sodor. As James pulls up to the platform, Thomas rolls up, telling him that he isn't the favourite engine, and that he was going to sing a song. So, James calls out to everyone at the station that Thomas is going to sing, and everyone listens. Hesitant at first, Thomas is just about to sing, but James interrupts him and starts singing again about how he's the favourite engine. Thomas meets up with James at the Shunting Yards and tells him again that he's not Sir Topham Hatt's favourite engine. James boasts how he always gets the best jobs, and that his next one is to transport musicians, while Thomas collects pigs from Farmer Trotter's farm. Thomas doesn't believe James until later at the farm, when he sees him pulling carriages filled with musicians. Hearing James singing boastfully makes Thomas even more upset. That evening, Edward brings Judy and Jerome to help lift Henry back to safety, and Harvey arrives to handle the derailed trucks. At his office, Sir Topham Hatt is talking on his telephone and using a map and wooden trains to monitor the situation. As Thomas overhears Sir Topham Hatt makes plans for James to take the trucks to the Mainland. Thomas thinks that James will be upset thinking he won't be the favourite by pulling the freight trucks, but James was one step ahead of Thomas. James is happy that he was going to the mainland and Thomas is cross. Later that night, Thomas is upset and tells Percy that James thinks he's the most important engine. Percy, however, wasn't listening and busily leaves pulling the mail train. It's unfair that Thomas has to stay on Sodor, but an idea flew into his funnel. The next morning, James is ready to collect the goods train and asks Rosie where it is. She says that Thomas had picked them up early and this makes James surprised. Thomas tricked James and sang that he might now be the favourite engine. He took the trucks as he puffs through the Vicarstown Bridge to the mainland. At the Steamworks, Henry is still being repaired with The Fat Controller supervising. James arrives and tells him about Thomas taking the trucks to the mainland. Sir Topham Hatt thinks it is a good idea and tells James to work on Thomas' branch line. James feels upset. Characters * Thomas * Edward * Henry * Gordon * James * Percy * Toby * Emily * Rosie * Philip * Ulli * A Bridlington Diesel * Victor * Annie and Clarabel * Kevin * Sir Topham Hatt * Some Workmen * Farmer Trotter (does not speak) * Hiro (not named; does not speak) * Judy and Jerome (not named; do not speak) * Farmer McColl (not named; does not speak) * Duck (cameo) * Donald and Douglas (cameo) * Oliver (cameo) * Bill and Ben (cameo) * Flying Scotsman (cameo) * Harvey (cameo) * Spencer (cameo) * Whiff (cameo) * Stanley (cameo) * Charlie (cameo) * Scruff (cameo) * Belle (cameo) * Porter (cameo) * Stephen (cameo) * Connor (cameo) * Caitlin (cameo) * Timothy (cameo) * Samson (cameo) * Ryan (cameo) * Glynn (cameo) * Diesel (cameo) * Daisy (cameo) * Mavis (cameo) * 'Arry and Bert (cameo) * Salty (cameo) * Den (cameo) * Dart (cameo) * Sidney (cameo) * Paxton (cameo) * Norman (cameo) * Hugo (cameo) * Flynn (cameo) * Marion (cameo) * Skiff (cameo) * Stafford (cameo) * Rheneas (cameo) * Peter Sam (cameo) * Luke (cameo) * Millie (cameo) * Rusty (cameo) * Bert (cameo) * Rex (cameo) * Mike (cameo) * Henrietta (cameo) * Slip Coaches (cameo) * Toad (cameo) * Rocky (cameo) * Bradford (cameo) * Trevor (cameo) * Cranky (cameo) * Jem Cole (cameo) * Sir Robert Norramby (cameo) * The Thin Clergyman (cameo) * Sodor Brass Band (cameo) * The Teacher (cameo) * The Bird Watcher (cameo) * The Ginger-haired Boy (cameo) * The Blond-haired Boy (cameo) * Dowager Hatt's Friends * The Welsh Bird Watcher (cameo) * The Lady with the Big Hat (cameo) * The Great Railway Show Judge (cameo) * Ferdinand (portrait cameo) Characters Introduced * Lexi * Theo * Hurricane * Merlin * Frankie * Beresford * Lexi's Friend (not named; does not speak) Locations * Arlesburgh * Arlesburgh Harbour * Bluff's Cove * Brendam Docks * Sodor Shipping Company * Blue Mountain Quarry * The Fenland Track * Anopha Quarry * Ulfstead Castle * Harwick Branch Line * The Little Western * Thomas' Branch Line * The Windmill * McColl Farm * Farmer Trotter's Pig Farm * Maithwaite * Knapford * Knapford Yards * Knapford Station Yard * Tidmouth Sheds * Sodor Steamworks * Vicarstown * Vicarstown Goods Yard * Vicarstown Bridge * The Mainland * The Steelworks * Bridlington Goods Yard Voice Cast UK, AUS & NZ * Mark Moraghan as the Narrator * John Hasler as Thomas * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon and Sir Topham Hatt * Rob Rackstraw as James, Toby and the Troublesome Trucks * Nigel Pilkington as Percy * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Annie and Clarabel * Nicola Stapleton as Rosie * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip * David Bedella as Victor * Matt Wilkinson as Kevin * Steven Kynman as a Workman * Jim Howick as Hurricane * Hugh Bonneville as Merlin * Darren Boyd as Theo * Lucy Montgomery as Lexi and the Troublesome Trucks * Sophie Colquhoun as Frankie * Colin McFarlane as Beresford * Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks * Kerry Shale as the Troublesome Trucks US and CAN * Mark Moraghan as the Narrator * Joseph May as Thomas * William Hope as Edward and Toby * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, the Troublesome Trucks and Kevin * Rob Rackstraw as James and the Troublesome Trucks * Christopher Ragland as Percy and the Troublesome Trucks * Jules de Jongh as Emily * Nicola Stapleton as Rosie * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip * John Schwab as Ulli and the other Mainland Diesel * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel * Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt * Steven Kynman as a Knapford Station Workman * Jim Howick as Hurricane * Hugh Bonneville as Merlin * Darren Boyd as Theo * Lucy Montgomery as Lexi and the Troublesome Trucks * Sophie Colquhoun as Frankie * Colin McFarlane as Beresford * David Bedella as Victor (uncredited) Songs * Somebody Has to Be the Favourite * Who's Thomas? * The Hottest Place in Town * I Want to Go Home * We Can't Do Anything * The Most Important Thing is Being Friends Bonus Features UK/US/AUS * Music Videos: Who's Thomas?, The Hottest Place in Town, We Can't Do Anything, The Most Important Thing is Being Friends * Landmarks of Sodor: Travelling to the Mainland * Top 5 Funniest Moments! Trivia * This special takes place between The Great Race and the twenty-first season. * Hugh Bonneville, Colin McFarlane, Darren Boyd, Jim Howick, Sophie Colquhoun, Lucy Montgomery and Nicola Stapleton join the voice cast. At seven voice actors, this special currently holds the record for the greatest number of actors to join the voice cast at once. * The movie will be shown for screening at Edaville Railroad on August 19th. * The puddle of slag seen in I Want to Go Home is in the shape of The Island of Sodor. * This special holds the record for the most cameo appearances in a Thomas & Friends production, with more than 50 cameos. * References to the first season episode, Down the Mine, the second season episode, Thomas Comes to Breakfast and The Adventure Begins were made. * When Thomas is about to drop next to the slag wagon, his lines recorded, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" from Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure is re-used. * This special marks the first of a few things: ** The first special animated by Jam Filled Toronto. ** The first special produced by Mattel Creations. ** The first special longer than 63 minutes, making this the longest special to date. ** The first special where James is voiced by Rob Rackstraw in the UK, and the first time he is shown working on Thomas' branch line. ** The first appearance of the salt vans in full CGI. ** The first time that tankers have had faces since the fourth season. ** The first time British Railways Diesels have spoken since their debut, however, only two of them spoke in this special. In addition, one of them is named Ulli. ** From this special onward, the characters now have exaggerated movement when they speak or sing. ** This is the first time since the second season episode, The Diseasel where an engine's basis is said in the TV series. ** The first special in which the main antagonist is female, and whose intentions are not intended to be cruel. ** The first time an engine cries since Blue Mountain Mystery, and the first time the engine verbally sobs, with that being Frankie. ** The first special since Hero of the Rails where Cranky does not have a speaking role. ** This special also marks the first of several things for Rosie: *** The first time she is voiced by Nicola Stapleton in the UK and US, taking over from Teresa Gallagher and Jules de Jongh, respectively. *** Her first appearance in her new livery. *** Her first speaking role since the sixteenth season episode, Sodor Surprise Day, and her first speaking role in a special. * There are two references to The Wizard of Oz: ** As Thomas enters the Steelworks, the first van in his train mutters the line "Thomas, I don't think we're in Sodor anymore." Whereas in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy said "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." ** Hurricane said the line "I'm melting, I'm melting." He is referencing the scene with the Witch saying said line in said movie. * This is the second musical movie with the other being The Great Race. * While trying to capture James, Hurricane sends flatbeds onto the three sets of rails in front of James. This could be a possible reference to Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark where arrows shoot out of the walls to kill the main protagonist. * When Theo says "I think I can't, I think I can't" sounds similar to The Little Engine That Could, when the little engine says "I think I can, I think I can." Goofs * When Henry passes Connor in the beginning, he is near a grassy area, right after that, when the camera changes, both engines are at Vicarstown. *At Vicarstown, the trees on the streets aren't animated properly as they look like undetailed bushes. * Connor has Caitlin's whistle at the beginning. * The trucks that Hiro is pulling at the beginning change between the crash scene and the recovery scene. * Rusty appears on standard gauge track during I Want to Go Home. * Throughout most of the special, James's rear tender axle box is clipping through his rear bufferbeam. * The Troublesome Trucks' voices continually change. * Despite being moved to work on the Harwick Branch Line, Judy and Jerome are seen back in their old siding at Knapford. Despite being assigned to the western side of the island, they are seen helping Henry after his accident at Vicarstown, on the east when it should have been Rocky. * During The Hottest Place in Town, Hurricane's valve gear can be seen floating when he's dancing, Merlin suffers the same issue. * When Thomas goes to Bridlington, the van that usually said, "Are we there yet?" has a face at either end. * When Beresford picks Thomas up so he could hide from Hurricane and Frankie, Beresford appears higher and further away from his rails. * When Thomas travels along the canal, he passes the area where Beresford usually is, but Beresford is absent. In the next scene, Thomas has been moved back, as Beresford is back in his original position and Thomas passes the same building twice. * At the beginning, Henry's trailing wheels spark when he's trying to avoid crashing into Hiro's train, even though they're not fitted with brakes. * When Thomas gets lost in a junction with his trucks, he goes under a curved trestle and part of the trestle is blocking three lines next to him. * David Bedella is not credited in the US credits despite voicing Victor. In Other Languages Merchandise Category:Future Releases Category:Specials Category:Australian VHS/DVD releases Category:UK VHS/DVD releases Category:US VHS/DVD releases Category:Digital Video Category:DVDs Category:Theatrical releases Category:Direct-to-Home Video Category:Polish DVD releases